Excel sheet or worksheet

I use the terms Sheet and Worksheet interchangeably when talking about Excel, I think most users do.  Google also appears to think they are the same thing; If I search for “How to loop through Sheets with Excel VBA”, all the results returned on the first page refer to Worksheets.

Yet, Sheets and Worksheets from a VBA perspective are definitely not the same.  Unfortunately, most of the VBA code I write doesn’t really consider the differences… bad habits, I know.  Hopefully, by writing this post it will inspire me to correct my bad habits, and prevent you from creating bad habits.

In essence, all Worksheets are Sheets, but not all Sheets are Worksheets.  There are different types of Sheets:

• Worksheet – the sheet with the gridlines and cells
• Chart – the sheet which contains a single chart
• DialogSheet – an Excel 5 dialog sheet.  These are effectively defunct as they have been replaced by VBA UserForms
• Macro sheets – A sheet containing Excel 4 macros. These were replaced by VBA in 1995.
• International Macro sheet – A sheet containing an internationally compatible Excel 4 macro (also replaced in 1995).

Since DialogSheets, and both forms of Macro sheets were replaced in the 90’s, we can pretty much ignore them.  That leaves just two types of sheets we are likely to encounter: Charts and Worksheets.

So, in summary, when we refer to Sheets in VBA, we are talking about Charts and Worksheets.  And when we refer to Worksheets, we are excluding Charts.

What type of sheet is it?

Different sheet types have their own properties.  For example, on a Worksheet you can select cells, but you can’t on a Chart sheet, because there are no cells.  So, if we want to perform certain actions on the active sheet, we need to know which type of sheet we are on.

Sub TypeOfActiveSheet()

MsgBox TypeName(ActiveSheet)

End Sub

Running the code above will generate a message box with either “Worksheet” or “Chart” depending on the type of sheet.

Objects and collections

Understanding objects and collections will help us master the use of Charts, Worksheets and Sheets.

Worksheet – A Worksheet is an object which refers to a single worksheet.  Each worksheet is a member of the Worksheets and Sheets collection objects.

Worksheets – Worksheets is a collection object which contains all the individual Worksheet objects in a workbook.

Chart – A Chart is an object which refers to a single chart. The chart:

• Can be contained within a Chart Object for a chart contained on the face of the worksheet (outside the scope of this post).
• Can be a member of the Charts and Sheets collection objects.

Charts – Charts is a collection object which contains all the individual Chart sheet objects within a workbook.  This should not be confused with the ChartObjects object, which is the collection of charts contained on the face of the worksheet.

Sheets – Sheets is a collection object which contains all the individual Worksheet and Chart sheet objects in a workbook.

Looping through Sheets, Worksheets and Charts

When using the For Each loop, we are looping through each object within a collection.

Example 1 – Looping through each Worksheet in the Worksheets collection

The VBA code below will loop through each Worksheet in the Worksheets collection.

Sub LoopThroughWorksheets()

'Create an instance of the Worksheet object called "ws"
Dim ws As Worksheet

'Loop through each Worksheet object in the Worksheets collection
For Each ws In ActiveWorkbook.Worksheets

    MsgBox ws.Name

Next ws

End Sub

Example 2 – Looping through each Chart in the Charts collection

The following code will loop through each Chart in the Charts collection.

Sub LoopThroughCharts()

'Create an instance of the Chart object called "cht"
Dim cht As Chart

'Loop through each Chart object in the Charts collection
For Each cht In ActiveWorkbook.Charts

    MsgBox cht.Name

Next cht

End Sub

Example 3 – Looping through each Object in the Sheets collection

To loop through every sheet, we cannot declare a Sheet object, because it doesn’t exist.  The example below loops through every object (i.e. it will include Chart and Worksheet objects) contained within the Sheets collection.

Sub LoopThroughSheets()

'Create a variable to hold any object called "obj"
Dim obj As Object

'Loop through each Object in the Sheets collection
For Each obj In ActiveWorkbook.Sheets

    MsgBox obj.Name

Next obj

End Sub

Example 4 – Looping through every Sheet in the Sheets collection

As an alternative to Example 3, we could count the sheets, then loop using a For loop.

Sub LoopThroughSheets()

Dim i As Integer

'Count all sheets and loop through each
For i = 1 To Sheets.Count

    MsgBox Sheets(i).Name

Next i

End Sub

This method of looping by counting the objects will work equally well with Charts and Worksheets.

In this article you will be learning about sheets vs worksheets in excel VBA and how to use of these functions when manipulating spreadsheets.

Difference between Worksheets and Sheets in VBA

In VBA, you have two collections that can be a bit confusing at times. In a workbook, you can have worksheets and as well as chart sheets.

In Excel VBA:

• The ‘Worksheets’ collection would refer to the collection of all the worksheet objects in a workbook.
• The ‘Sheets’ collection would refer to all the worksheets as well as chart sheets in the workbook.

To run the VBA code in Excel, perform the following first

•   Under the developer tab, click visual basic
•   Click the insert option and choose a module
•   Enter your codes and click run.

Now we know, ‘sheets’ is the collection of worksheets and chart sheets.

Looping through each Object in the Sheets collection

To loop through every sheet,

Code:

Sub UsingObject()

Dim obj As Object

For Each obj In ActiveWorkbook.Sheets

    MsgBox obj.Name

Next obj

End Sub

Looping through every Sheet in the Sheets collection

We can also count the sheets, then loop using a For loop.

Code

Sub UsingCount()

Dim i As Integer

For i = 1 To Sheets.Count

    MsgBox Sheets(i).Name

Next i

End Sub

This method of looping by counting the objects will work equally well with Charts and Worksheets.

Worksheets

When you have to work with worksheets only, use the ‘Worksheets’ collection, and when you have to refer to all sheets, then use the ‘Sheets’ collection.

Let’s see worksheets in detail.

Referencing a Worksheet in VBA

You can refer a worksheet in the following methods.

Using the Worksheet Name

This is the easiest way to refer to a worksheet.

When you are working with a workbook with three worksheets namely Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3 (which is common in any excel file) and you want to activate Sheet 3.

Use the following code:

Code:

Sub ActivateSheet()

Worksheets("Sheet3").Activate

End Sub

You can also use the sheets collection method to activate the sheets, as we are using the name of the sheet as the key point.

Use this code

Code:

Sub ActivateSheet()

Sheets("Sheet3").Activate

End Sub

Using the Index Number

The difficult part of using the name of the sheet to refer them is you need to know the exact name of the sheet or the program doesn’t work.

In this case, you can use the index number of the worksheets. The indexing starts from 1 in the collection of sheets.

Use this code to activate Sheet3:

Code

Sub ActivateSheet()

Worksheets(3).Activate

End Sub

Important: A chart sheet is not a part of the worksheets collection.

This is because when we use the index numbers in the Worksheet collection, it will only refer to the worksheets in the workbook.

Note: Indexing goes from left to right. So if you shift Sheet3 to the left of Sheet2, then Worksheets (2) would refer to Sheet3.

Using the Worksheet Code Name

You can use the code name of the worksheet to refer to a worksheet.  This code name can be assigned in the VB Editor and it won’t change when you change the name of the worksheet.

To give your worksheet a code name, follow these steps:

• Under the Developer tab, click the Visual Basic option.
•  This will open the VB Editor.
• Now, Click the View option in the menu and click on Project Window.
• Click on the sheet name in the project explorer that you want to rename.
• In the Properties pane, change the name in the field in front of (Name).

Note: Don’t include spaces in the name.

This would change the name of your Worksheet in the VBA, i.e., the code name. Therefore, when you change the worksheet name it doesn’t affect the code in your VBA.

Now, you can use either the Worksheets collection to refer to the worksheet or use the codename.

The following code uses both worksheet collection method and name of the sheet method.

Code

Worksheets("Sheet3").Activate

SH3.Activate

(I have code named my sheet as SH3)

Referring to a Worksheet in a Different Workbook

If you need to access a worksheet in a different workbook,

Code

Sub SheetActivate()

Workbooks("Examples.xlsx").Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate

End Sub

Adding a Worksheet

When you need to add a worksheet

Code

Sub AddSheet()

Worksheets.Add

End Sub

Deleting a Worksheet

When you want to delete a worksheet:

Code

Sub DeleteSheet()

ActiveSheet.Delete

End Sub

Click ok on the warning prompt. The worksheet gets deleted.

To avoid the warning prompt, use the below code:

Code

Sub DeleteSheet()

Application.DisplayAlerts = False

ActiveSheet.Delete

Application.DisplayAlerts = True

End Sub

Note: You can’t undo this delete option. So be sure.

Delete a specific worksheet.

If you want to delete a specific sheet,

Code

Sub DeleteSheet()

Worksheets("Sheet3").Delete

End Sub

You can also use the code name of the sheet to delete it.

Sub DeleteSheet()

SH3.Delete

End Sub

Renaming the Worksheets

When you want to rename the sheets using VBA code:

Sub RenameSheet()

Worksheets("Sheet1").Name = "Naming sheet"

End Sub

Code

Adding Multiple Sheets

When you need to add multiple sheets

Code

Sub RenameSheet()

Dim Countsheets As Integer

Countsheets = Worksheets.Count

For i = 1 To 4

Worksheets.Add after:=Worksheets(Countsheets + i – 1)

Worksheets(Countsheets + i).Name = "Multiple Sheets 1" & i

Next i

End Sub

Assigning Worksheet Object to a Variable

You can assign a worksheet to an object variable, and then use the variable instead of the worksheet references.

Code

Sub RenameSheet()

Dim Ws As Worksheet

For Each Ws In Worksheets

Ws.Name = "Assigning Variable " & Ws.Name

Next Ws

End Sub

Hide Worksheets Using VBA

You can hide and unhide worksheets using VBA. Normally when a worksheet is hidden, you can easily unhide the worksheet by right-clicking on any sheet tab.

But if you don’t want to unhide the worksheet in this method, you can do this using VBA.

The code below would hide all the worksheets in the workbook (except the active sheet), such that you cannot unhide it by right-clicking on the sheet name.

Code

Sub HideAllExcetActiveSheet()

Dim Ws As Worksheet

For Each Ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets

If Ws.Name <> ActiveSheet.Name Then Ws.Visible = xlSheetVeryHidden

Next Ws

End Sub

If you want to hide sheets that can be unhidden easily, use the below code.

Code

Sub HideAllExceptActiveSheet()

Dim Ws As Worksheet

For Each Ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets

If Ws.Name <> ActiveSheet.Name Then Ws.Visible = xlSheetHidden

Next Ws

End Sub

To unhide the sheets

Code:

Sub UnhideAllWoksheets()

Dim Ws As Worksheet

For Each Ws In ThisWorkbook.Worksheets

Ws.Visible = xlSheetVisible

Next Ws

End Sub

Hide Sheets Based on the Text in it

You can hide sheets based on the text in it. You can do this using the VBA INSTR function.

The below code would hide all the sheets except the ones with the text 2020 in it.

Code:

Sub HideWithMatchingText()

Dim Ws As Worksheet

For Each Ws In Worksheets

If InStr(1, Ws.Name, "2020", vbBinaryCompare) = 0 Then

Ws.Visible = xlSheetHidden

End If

Next Ws

End Sub

Sorting the Worksheets in an Alphabetical Order

Using VBA, you can quickly sort the worksheets based on their names.

Use the below code to quickly sort sheets in an ascending order.

Code

Sub SortSheetsTabName()

Application.ScreenUpdating = False

Dim ShCount As Integer, i As Integer, j As Integer

ShCount = Sheets.Count

For i = 1 To ShCount – 1

For j = i + 1 To ShCount

If Sheets(j).Name < Sheets(i).Name Then

Sheets(j).Move before:=Sheets(i)

End If

Next j

Next i

Application.ScreenUpdating = True

End Sub

Creating a Table of Contents of All Worksheets with Hyperlinks

To create a table of contents of all worksheets:

Code

Sub AddIndexSheet()

Worksheets.Add

ActiveSheet.Name = "Index"

For i = 2 To Worksheets.Count

ActiveSheet.Hyperlinks.Add Anchor:=Cells(i – 1, 1), _

Address:="", SubAddress:=Worksheets(i).Name & "!A1", _

TextToDisplay:=Worksheets(i).Name

Next i

End Sub

The above code inserts a new worksheet and names it Index.

It then loops through all the worksheets and creates a hyperlink for all the worksheets in the Index sheet.

This is the ultimate guide to working with Excel Sheets / Worksheets in VBA.

At the bottom of this guide, we’ve created a cheat sheet of common commands for working with sheets.

Sheets Vs. Worksheets

There are two ways to reference Sheets using VBA. The first is with the Sheets object:

Sheets("Sheet1").Activate

The other is with the Worksheets object:

Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate

99% of the time, these two objects are identical. In fact, if you’ve searched online for VBA code examples, you’ve probably seen both objects used. Here is the difference:

The Sheets Collection contains Worksheets AND Chart Sheets.

So use Sheets if you want to include regular Worksheets AND Chart Sheets. Use Worksheets if you want to exclude Chart Sheets. For the rest of this guide we will use Sheets and Worksheets interchangeably.

Referencing Sheets

There are several different ways to reference Sheets:

• ActiveSheet
• Sheet Tab Name
• Sheet Index Number
• Sheet Code Name

ActiveSheet

The ActiveSheet is the Sheet that’s currently active. In other words, if you paused your code and looked at Excel, it’s the sheet that is visible. The below code example will display a MessageBox with the ActiveSheet name.

MsgBox ActiveSheet.Name

Sheet Name

You are probably most familiar with referencing Sheets by their Tab Name:

Sheets("TabName").Activate

This is the sheet name that’s visible to Excel users. Enter it into the sheets object, as a string of text, surrounded by quotations.

Sheet Index Number

The Sheet Index number is the sheet position in the workbook. 1 is the first sheet. 2 is the second sheet etc.:

Sheets(1).Activate

Sheet Index Number – Last Sheet in Workbook

To reference the last Sheet in the workbook, use Sheets.Count to get the last Index Number and activate that sheet:

Sheets(Sheets.Count).Activate

Sheet “Code Name”

The Sheet Code Name is it’s Object name in VBA:

CodeName.Activate

Referencing Sheets in Other Workbooks

It’s also easy to reference Sheets in other Workbooks. To do so, you need to use the Workbooks Object:

Workbooks("VBA_Examples.xlsm").Worksheets("Sheet1").Activate

Important: The Workbook must be open before you can reference its Sheets.

Activate vs. Select Sheet

In another article we discuss everything about activating and selecting sheets. The short version is this:

When you Activate a Sheet it becomes the ActiveSheet. This is the sheet you would see if you looked at your Excel program. Only one sheet may be activate at a time.

Activate a Sheet

Sheets("Sheet1").Activate

When you select a Sheet, it also becomes the ActiveSheet. However, you can select multiple sheets at once. When multiple sheets are selected at once, the “top” sheet is the ActiveSheet. However, you can toggle the ActiveSheet within selected sheets.

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Select a Sheet

Sheets("Sheet1").Select

Select Multiple Sheets

Use an array to select multiple sheets at once:

Worksheets(Array("Sheet2", "Sheet3")).Select

Worksheet Variable

Assigning a worksheet to an object variable allows you to reference the worksheet by it’s variable name. This can save a lot of typing and make your code easier to read. There are also many other reasons you might want to use variables.

To declare a worksheet variable:

Dim ws as worksheet

Assign a worksheet to a variable:

Set ws = Sheets("Sheet1")

Now you can reference the worksheet variable in your code:

ws.Activate

Loop Through All Sheets in Workbook

Worksheet variables are useful when you want to loop through all the worksheets in a workbook. The easiest way to do this is:

Dim ws as Worksheet

For Each ws in Worksheets
  MsgBox ws.name
Next ws

This code will loop through all worksheets in the workbook, displaying each worksheet name in a message box. Looping through all the sheets in a workbook is very useful when locking / unlocking or hiding / unhiding multiple worksheets at once.

Worksheet Protection

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Workbook Protection

Workbook protection locks the workbook from structural changes like adding, deleting, moving, or hiding worksheets.

You can turn on workbook protection using VBA:

ActiveWorkbook.Protect Password:="Password"

or disable workbook protection:

ActiveWorkbook.UnProtect Password:="Password"

Note: You can also protect / unprotect without a password by omitting the Password argument:

ActiveWorkbook.Protect

Worksheet Protection

Worksheet-level protection prevents changes to individual worksheets.

Protect Worksheet

Worksheets("Sheet1").Protect "Password"

Unprotect Worksheet

Worksheets("Sheet1").Unprotect "Password"

There are a variety of options when protecting worksheets (allow formatting changes, allow user to insert rows, etc.)  We recommend using the Macro Recorder to record your desired settings.

We discuss worksheet protection in more detail here.

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Worksheet Visible Property

You might already know that worksheets can be hidden:

There are actually three worksheet visibility settings: Visible, Hidden, and VeryHidden. Hidden sheets can be unhidden by any regular Excel user – by right-clicking in the worksheet tab area (shown above).  VeryHidden sheets can only be unhidden with VBA code or from within the VBA Editor.  Use the following code examples to hide / unhide worksheets:

Unhide Worksheet

Worksheets("Sheet1").Visible = xlSheetVisible

Hide Worksheet

Worksheets("Sheet1").visible = xlSheetHidden

Very Hide Worksheet

Worksheets("Sheet1").Visible = xlSheetVeryHidden

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Worksheet-Level Events

Events are triggers that can cause “Event Procedures” to run. For example, you can cause code to run every time any cell on a worksheet is changed or when a worksheet is activated.

Worksheet event procedures must be placed in a worksheet module:

There are numerous worksheet events. To see a complete list, go to a worksheet module, select “Worksheet” from the first drop-down. Then selecting an event procedure from the second drop-down to insert it into the module.

Worksheet Activate Event

Worksheet activate events run each time the worksheet is opened.

Private Sub Worksheet_Activate()
  Range("A1").Select
End Sub

This code will select cell A1 (resetting the view area to the top-left of the worksheet) each time the worksheet is opened.

Worksheet Change Event

Worksheet change events run whenever a cell value is changed on the worksheet. Read our tutorial about Worksheet Change Events for more information.

Worksheet Cheat Sheet

Below you will find a cheat sheet containing common code examples for working with sheets in VBA

VBA Worksheets Cheatsheet

VBA worksheets Cheatsheet